Shania Twain has 'best Halloween ever' at first Milwaukee show in 20 years at Fiserv Forum

A snowy Halloween is a rare occurrence, at least in Milwaukee.

Even more rare: a Shania Twain concert in Milwaukee.

Tuesday marked the first time in 20 years that Twain stepped on a Milwaukee stage. And despite the holiday and harsh weather, she drew a large, passionate crowd to Fiserv Forum, fit for the "Queen of Country Pop."

Twain didn't actually start Tuesday's two-hour-and-9-minute set on a stage. As her six-piece band (including two backing singers) fired up the first song "Waking Up Dreaming," Twain popped out from a covered cart in the middle of the arena floor, singing inches away from scores of fans as she was wheeled down the aisles.

When she did end up on stage, several fans throughout the night got to join her.

There was a local fan, social media influencer and South Milwaukee resident Johnny Cyrus, who wrote an excited post on Instagram about going to the concert with his aunt, who introduced him to Twain's music: Both of them got to go on stage, with Twain and the band working through his favorite song, a live-show rarity, "I'm Holdin' On to Love (To Save My Life)."

Twain invited another fan to sing along on stage for "Honey I'm Home"; she declined, with incredible fear in her eyes, but was happy to dance along. Twain brought up a couple that got engaged at the show, singing a bit of "Any Man of Mine" a cappella in their honor, and six other fans got to stand at candle-lit tall tables on stage for "From This Moment On," which she dedicated to a couple in the audience celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.

Not everyone could get close to Twain on stage, of course. But for everyone else in the filled-to-capacity arena, she made the show feel personal.

The stage design incorporated a giant digital "Wisconsin" sign that covered the entire video wall behind her for "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)." And following a simmering tap-dance battle between her two backing dancers, a neon Milwaukee sign flashed on the video screen above a digital street corner during "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!"

Then there was Twain's outfit, custom-made for this show and one that could only work in Milwaukee: a special sequined black Milwaukee Bucks jacket, with the team logo on the front and the team name in big letters down the back, unbuttoned enough so the team jersey she was wearing underneath was visible.

Twain noted that “Come On Over” was celebrating its 25th anniversary, and songs from her biggest album made up 10 of the 25 songs she touched on Tuesday. Follow-up album "Up!" from 2002 had the second most representation Tuesday, with seven songs in the setlist.

But the official occasion for the tour was her latest album, this year’s “Queen of Me.” It won’t go down as canon but it’s definitively, defiantly Twain. That’s not just because of its slick pop hooks, her game-changing contribution to country that also paved the path for Taylor Swift and other stars. It also reinforced Twain's determination to stick to her convictions and challenge convention: In a big country music no-no, "Pretty Liar," a '50s-pop-inspired kiss-off that was sung Tuesday night, actually has an f-bomb in the chorus.

But the real reason Twain remains on that country pop throne is the infectious enthusiasm that remains for her back catalog — from the fans and especially Tuesday from the artist, fitting for someone who's used more exclamation points in her song titles than nearly everyone else.

Live, she accompanied her first monster hit, 1995's "Any Man of Mine," with some fiddle-seasoned, boot-scooting line-dancing choreography supported by her two singers. Her backing musicians frequently enhanced her polish, from one singer doing flips for "Party of Two" to her fiddle player crouching under a digital leaping horse on the big screen behind him, and running from a digital alien chasing him during "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" Twain vowed Tuesday, after a little acoustic solo intro, the performance would be a "(expletive) kicker," and she and the band lived up to her promise.

The one-two punch of feminine, empowering "Come On Over" anthems "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" made for an arena-electrifying finale. And Twain's voice, at 58, sounded as sweet and tender as ever as she strummed an acoustic guitar and belted one of the night's few slower songs, "You're Still the One."

But contrary to some music queens and kings, it was the enthusiasm of her subjects that Twain treasured most of all, and not just the fans she embraced on the stage. She played "choir director" at least five times throughout the night, and more than once cheered that the evening had become such a lively singalong.

"This has been absolutely my best Halloween ever," Twain said toward the end of the night.

For Milwaukee fans, it must have felt like a cruel trick that Twain kept skipping over the city the past two decades. But Tuesday's show was the ultimate treat.

5 takeaways from Shania Twain's Milwaukee concert, including opener Lily Rose

• Lily Rose was eager to please with her opening set: sporting a Giannis Antetokounmpo jersey; praising Uncle Buck’s and their cheese curds; calling the Rave her favorite venue in the world; and sliding a medley of 2010s bro-country hits into her set (including Jason Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem” and Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise”). But the greatest response was for Rose’s own material, from breakout R&B-flavored country hit “Villain” to slick Diplo collaboration “Sad in the Summer.” (She also had a standout moment during Twain's set, joining in to sing "Party for Two.") Rose said this was her fourth Milwaukee show in the past 18 months, and there’ll be a fifth in March, when she opens for Sam Hunt at Fiserv Forum.

• Despite Twain’s show happening on Halloween, there were far fewer costumes in the crowd than for the 1975’s Bucks arena show on Saturday. Among the few Halloween-ready outfits I saw: a couple of pageant queens, a dinosaur, Olaf from “Frozen,” Wonder Woman, the cowgirl Barbie look from the movie, a lady wearing a “Let’s Go Ghouls” shirt, and a few women dressed like Twain from the "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" music video. Rose’s three backing musicians sported KISS makeup, while the right half of Rose’s face was made up like a skeleton. And Twain suggested her primary outfit for the night, which included a jet-black wig with hair falling all the way down her back and '60s-style bright-white knee high boots, was her "If Cher were a Milwaukee Bucks fan" costume.

• Besides the Bucks ensemble, Twain started the show wrapped in a black trench coat with shades, looking a bit like Anna Wintour. And for the encore, she wore the same cheetah-print hooded robe she had on in the "That Don't Impress Me Much" music video, which she said she had only worn one time before this tour.

• Whenever Twain played an acoustic guitar Tuesday, it was the same one, with the word Nikko scribbled on it. That was the signature of a young country fan who got to sing with Twain at the Faster Horses festival in Michigan in July and autographed her guitar.

• Well, Milwaukee, apparently, it's already that time of year. Because of the snow and ice, the walk into and out of Fiserv Forum was pretty treacherous, particularly the Deer District Plaza and sidewalks around the arena. (Perhaps the Bucks treated the pavement, but I didn't see anyone doing it before or after the show.) And because of the snow, one driver coming out of a nearby surface lot thought he was on a driveway, only to find out the hard way that he was driving off a curb. Consider this a reminder to give yourself plenty of time getting to shows when snow and ice can be a factor, and be extra careful.

Shania Twain's Fiserv Forum setlist in Milwaukee

1. "Waking Up Dreaming"

2. "Up!"

3. "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)"

4. "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!"

5. "Come On Over"

6. "You're Still the One"

7. "Giddy Up!"

8. "Any Man of Mine"

9. "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?"

10. "Honey, I'm Home"

11. "Rock This Country!"

12. "Nah!"/"She's Not Just a Pretty Face"/"Waiter! Brings Me Water!"/"When"/"Thank You Baby! (For Makin' Someday Come So Soon)"

13. "Pretty Liar"

14. "From This Moment On"

15. "I'm Holdin' On to Love (To Save My Life)"

16. "Number One"

17. "Party for Two"

18. "Forever and for Always"

19. "(If You're Not In It for Love) I'm Outta Here!"

20. "That Don't Impress Me Much"

21. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Shania Twain has 'best Halloween ever' at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee